The magazine, citing anonymous sources, said the men all received Colorado truck-driving licenses, which requires English proficiency, despite their inability to speak any English. The Time article claims the men, who attended the school in small groups, all had the same interpreter.
According to The Denver Post, the investigation is part of a broader sweep by agents looking into possible uses of trucks and planes as terrorism weapons, such as the trucks used in the 1998 bomb attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
"It couldn't have happened," classroom instructor Jack Atencio told The Denver Post. "I'm there every Saturday. I start every person in that school. And there's never been anybody sitting in that classroom with an interpreter at all."
The Adams County school trained the men to drive the rigs over the past two years, according to the Timearticle.
Between 25 and 35 men attended the school in small groups, and each paid as much as $3,400 cash for the two-week course, Time quoted ex-employees of the company as saying. A commercial driver's license in Colorado costs $25.60, is valid for four years and can be obtained only by a state resident who is at least 21 years old. It also requires a doctor's certificate showing the person is physically qualified to drive a commercial vehicle.
